Have a Little Faith in Me

by Nicole Austin

She stretched one arm above his head, cringing as he shifted position but thankfully did not awaken. To protect the skin, she wrapped a pocket square obtained from a suit jacket around his wrist, then used one of his silk ties and made a slipknot the way she’d learned at the hospital when restraining patients. After securing his arm to the headboard she repeated the process with the other, being careful to ensure his circulation was not impeded, and moved down the bed to secure his ankles.

  By the time she finished the room had filled with sunlight. Andi stood back to survey his naked body, tied spread-eagle to the bed. A sharp pang of guilt sliced through her chest. “This is so fucked up! He’s going to hate me.”

  To allow him some modesty, she pulled the sheet up over his hips.

  She couldn’t just sit and wait for him to wake up. Needing something to do, she borrowed his robe and headed for the kitchen to make some breakfast.

  * * * * *

  The bold aroma of Columbian coffee filtered through the layers of sleep to revive Darius. He attempted to shift on the bed only to find his arms and legs wouldn’t move. “What the hell?”

  His eyes snapped open and were blasted with bright morning sunlight. Blinking in rapid succession, they began to adjust. Tilting his head back, he discovered the problem. Someone had tied him to his own fucking bed with his expensive silk ties. “Fuck!”

  As the mattress dipped at his side, Andreana moved into his field of vision. Fear, guilt and hesitation danced in her eyes. “Good morning.”

  “Andreana…honey. Why am I tied to the bed?”

  She sucked her lower lip inward and sank her teeth into the plump flesh. Her gaze darted to his hands then scanned his face before resting somewhere around his right shoulder, refusing to look him in the eye. “I…uh, thought it would be fun. Kinky, you know, like all that stuff about Angie having a whip.”

  “I’m not into bondage, honey, so untie me now.”

  “I made breakfast,” she said, ignoring his request.

  Darius pulled at the ties so hard the headboard banged against the wall. “Great,” he gritted out from between clenched teeth. “Untie me and we’ll eat.”

  She just kept chewing on her lip and staring at his shoulder. “I-I can’t.”

  His hands were fisted so tight short fingernails dug into his palms. He gave another hard yank, shaking the headboard but failing to loosen the ties. His voice deepened to a gruff, authoritative tone. “Yes you can. Untie me, Andreana. Now!”

  Instead, she placed a hand behind his neck and lifted him to put several pillows behind his head and shoulders. From the elevated position he looked down, noticing the sheet covering his lower body with another set of his neckties stretching out from under the sheet to the footboard. Andreana, wearing his robe, fussed with a tray of food sitting on the nightstand.

  Softening his tone, he tried another tactic. “Honey, why can’t you untie me?”

  Her gaze stayed trained on her hands as she buttered a biscuit. “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Sure I will. Explain to me what’s going on.”

  She shook her head. “No you won’t. You only believe in things you can see, touch and explain through science.”

  Frustrated, his temper flared and he pulled at the ties several times, enjoying the violent banging created. “Damn it, Andreana. Unfucking tie me!” he barked.

  Andreana continued on as if she hadn’t heard him. “Since I was five years old, I’ve been preparing for the day I’d be called upon to help save someone important to the future. I don’t know who or why, only that my task is vital.”

  Jesus, she was insane. How the hell had he not seen it? “Untie my—”

  His rant was cut short as she shoved the biscuit in his open mouth and glared at him. “You wanted to hear this so shut up and listen.” Grim determination hardened her features, telling him she meant business.

  “All I know is that in order to save this person, I have to keep you away from the hospital until after the sun sets.”

  After sunset? Shit! She planned on leaving him tied to the bed all day? Darius spit out the food and yelled, “I’m on call.”

  Her gaze narrowed on him. “Do I have to gag you?”

  “Are you fucking listening to what you’re saying?”

  “No matter how much you cuss, snarl and try to pull free, you’re staying right here, Darius, so you might as well chill out.”

  “Fuck, Andreana. I’ll get you some help. I have a friend who is a psychiatrist. I’ll pay for a private facility. No one has to know—”

  She shoved the biscuit back in his mouth and arched her brow. “Behave!”

  Behave? She told him to behave? Darius seethed, shooting daggers at her with his eyes. He felt the muscles along his jaw bulge as he ground his teeth. Bile churned in his stomach. The woman was certifiable! Thoughts whirled through his mind. He’d have to listen to her, bide his time, wait for her to reveal a weakness he could exploit.

  “I’ll remove the biscuit if you will stay quiet and listen. Can you do that, Darius?”

  He nodded eagerly.

  When she reached toward his mouth, he forced his jaw to relax and spit the soggy food into her hand.

  “For the rest of the day, you and I will be staying right here. As soon as the sun goes down, I’ll release you but not before…”

  Her words trailed off as his beeper began to vibrate, making it dance across the nightstand. Wary, as if the small device might bite her, Andreana picked it up and read the text message then dropped it in her pocket without a word.

  “What? Is there an emergency?”

  She stared at her hands, where they rested in her lap, and her voice dropped so low he barely made out the words. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Nothing to worry about? Jesus Fucking Christ. Andreana, stop playing games. You have to—”

  This time she shoved a piece of cloth in his mouth. Darius worked frantically with his tongue to push it out. He froze as she picked up a roll of duct tape and cut off a piece measuring about six inches. She leaned toward him and he went wild, thrashing against the ties holding him down and screaming curses into the cloth, shaking his head from side to side in a futile attempt at avoiding having his mouth sealed shut. Once she smoothed the tape in place over his lips, Darius glared daggers at his captor only to find tears streaming down her face.

  “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed and staggered away from the bed.

  Chapter Four

  Blinded by her tears, Andi barely made it out of the bedroom. No sooner did she pass the doorway than she collapsed against the wall, sliding down the solid surface and curling up in a ball. She cried until there were no more tears left in her. The sounds of Darius’ struggle for freedom followed her as she crawled down the hall to the guest bathroom.

  After splashing water on her red, swollen eyes, she stared at herself in the mirror. “I don’t think I can do this.” She’d hoped Danu would show up and offer some encouragement or advice, but the warrior left her to deal with this mess alone. “Thanks a lot!”

  The pager started shaking. Andi grabbed the damn thing out of her pocket, her chest tightening as she read the message.

  9-1-1—SECOND PAGE—PLEASE RESPOND

  6YR OLD BOY, VASCULAR INJURY RT LEG

  OR TEAM WAITING. WHAT IS YOUR ETA?

  Her hands shook so badly she dropped his pager in the sink. It took two tries before she managed to pick it up and get it back in the pocket of her borrowed robe. “Oh God. Please let this be worth it and help him find a way to forgive me when it’s all said and done.”

  Needing some fortification, Andi stopped in the kitchen and drank a cup of the strong coffee. The telephone rang four times then she followed the sound of his voice to the answering machine in a small home office.

  “Dr. Raines, this is the hospital operator. We have a vascular trauma patient who needs immediate surgery. Please respond.”

  “Fuck!” Andi rubbed her eyes with shaky hands and plopped down
in the leather chair. No sooner had the message ended than the phone rang again. This time it was the familiar voice of Angie, the E.R. clerk.

  “Hey, Doc, you gotta get in here. Nutley is on vacation.” Andi hadn’t known the other trauma surgeon was out of town. Oh damn, that poor kid. She came very close to picking up the phone but thought of her mission and held back. “Michaels is here trying to stop the bleeding and freaking out. They’ve asked an adult surgeon from next door to come help. Call me back ASAP!”

  Andi choked back a sob. Michaels, a general surgeon, was trying to repair a vascular trauma. God, what a nightmare. She stood, intending to go cut Darius free, hesitated and dropped back down when her legs gave out.

  She had to trust in Danu and believe in her own intuition, which told her it would be more important for him to be able to operate later. Why he couldn’t go in now and still handle whatever would happen after sunset, she didn’t know.

  A pounding at the front door startled a squeak from her. Andi hadn’t considered anyone showing up to look for him. She moved to the edge of the entryway, her heart in her throat as she listened to the masculine voice outside.

  “Dr. Raines, this is the police.” The man pounded again. “The hospital sent us to check on you, sir.”

  Oh fuck! She was going to be arrested. Once that happened, she’d never work in healthcare again. This was so fucked up. How would she explain having the doc tied to the bed, naked?

  The officer talked to someone over his radio. “His car’s in the driveway. The house is all locked up. Call the hospital back. Find out how big of an emergency this is and if we need to knock down the door.”

  Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Andi’s entire body shook with fear and indecision. Should she open the door, give herself up? Would the cops give up and go away? She held a hand over her mouth, praying she wouldn’t make any sounds to alert the police someone was inside. She hoped Darius wouldn’t bang the headboard either.

  After the longest few minutes of her life, the officer’s radio crackled. “No, don’t break it down. They’ve worked out something else.”

  The officer pounded and shouted once more for good measure before she heard a car door slam. A motor started and he drove away. Andi’s legs buckled and she dropped to the floor.

  When she finally recovered and returned to the bedroom, Darius appeared to have calmed down.

  “This is cold. I’ll go heat it up and be back in a minute.” She lifted the tray without meeting his eyes and raced out of the room. The long afternoon stretched out before her. Andi had no idea how she’d survive the day and manage to complete her mission.

  She flinched when the pager vibrated again.

  PLEASE CALL WITH YOUR STATUS

  DR. WATKINS FROM STC IS SCRUBBING IN

  “Thank goodness.” Dr. Watkins, the adult trauma surgeon from a nearby hospital, had a great reputation. Knowing he was assisting Dr. Michaels eased some of her guilt. Feeling a little lighter, Andi dumped the cold omelet and made a sandwich piled high with ham. She cut up some fruit, adding it to the tray along with a cup of yogurt and a glass of sweet tea.

  Darius watched her warily as she set the tray down on the nightstand. Andi debated telling him what was happening at the hospital but decided against it. “I brought you something to eat.”

  She peeled the tape from his mouth with as much care as possible then got some ointment from the bathroom to soothe the reddened skin before sitting down to feed him.

  “I’m supposed to trust that you haven’t poisoned the food?”

  Andi sighed and rubbed at her temples where she felt a killer headache building. “If I wanted to kill you, there are plenty of ways I could have done so while you were asleep.”

  “Okay,” he conceded. “Make me understand this.”

  “You have to be more open-minded if you’re going to get it.” Relying on her somewhat limited intuitive abilities, Andi closed her eyes, took a deep breath and calmed her thoughts. She focused on finding a way to convince him. After several minutes an idea came to her. He believed in what he could see and what was provable so she had to show him.

  When Andi opened her eyes, she stared at the nightstand. She felt it contained something important and, following her urge, opened the drawer. Inside, she found an ornate picture frame and ran her fingers over the edge.

  “That’s private,” Darius grumbled.

  His reaction told her this meant something to him. She lifted the frame and turned it over to find a wedding picture, immediately recognizing a younger Darius smiling down at the beautiful bride. So much love shined in his expression it made her heart ache. What she wouldn’t give to have a man look at her like that.

  The grapevine at the hospital sure didn’t have this dirt, which made it perfect. Andi’s fingers traced the image of the woman’s exotic face and a name tickled her lips. “Ah, now I understand. Sharon is the reason you’ve hardened your heart.”

  Darius gasped. “How could you know my wife’s name?”

  She ignored him, closed her eyes and watched the past unfold. “You lived in Atlanta, which is where you got the knife wound. Her father was against the marriage for many reasons. He thought you were both way too young.”

  The clear image of Sharon’s parents was replaced by difficult years in med school when they had no money. She watched the progression of their lives. The day she died, Sharon was stressed after a visit with her doctor confirming her suspicion of being pregnant. Not paying enough attention, she stepped into the road as a bus turned the corner. “Oh no,” Andi cried. Poor Darius. By the time he arrived in the emergency room she’d already passed.

  “It wouldn’t have made a difference if you got there sooner, Darius. The doctors did everything possible but her injuries were too severe.”

  “Stop it,” he barked. “You don’t know what happened. You can’t.”

  When Andi looked at him, tears rolled down his cheek. She wiped them away gently. “You didn’t know about the baby until later,” she continued. “Your father-in-law acted rashly. He knows you couldn’t save his daughter and regrets blaming you, but he doesn’t know how to reach out to you now.”

  “Stop.” His whispered voice cracked. “How?”

  “The same way I know you can’t go to the hospital before sunset, Darius. I feel it in my gut. Call it instinct, intuition, premonition…they all fit.”

  Darius struggled against the memories and pain. When he’d moved to Florida, he made a clean break, telling no one here about his past. The people he’d worked with for the past three years had no idea he had been married and certainly not about his wife’s death.

  How the hell could Andreana touch his wedding picture and know all these things? He didn’t believe in psychics being able to see into the past or predict the future, called it a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Yet that’s exactly what she’d done. “And why is it so important for me to stay here until after sunset?”

  He opened his eyes and saw the doubt cross her delicate features before her gaze went empty as it had while she talked about his past.

  “I’m not privy to all the details. All I know is you can’t be tired from operating all day or working with another patient. You have to be available tonight to save a special child. It’s a complicated thoracic surgery requiring your skill. None of the other docs would be able to save the child.”

  What the fuck? “Uh-huh, and what’s so special about this kid?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She seemed distressed by not being able to fill in the blanks. Darius thought it all over as she fed him lunch. His arms ached from being tied above his head and his full bladder needed to be emptied. Perhaps he could convince her to untie him to use the bathroom. Then once he got free…

  “Andreana, I have to use the bathroom.”

  “Yeah, like I’m going to fall for that.”

  “I’m serious. My bladder is beyond full. I have to urinate.”

  She sized him up for a minute, seeming to ponder the sit
uation. “I’ll be right back.”

  He watched her pick up the tray and walk out of the bedroom. The seconds dragged as Darius formed a tentative plan. When she untied him, he’d overpower her. Tie her to the bed and let her get a firsthand idea of how much it sucked. Then he’d quickly dress and get to the hospital. On the way he’d call the cops and let them sort out things here at the house.

  When she walked back in carrying a large plastic sports bottle he groaned. “Fuck no. I am not peeing in a cup.”

  Andreana smirked. “Then I guess you’ll have to pee in the bed.”

  “And ruin the mattress,” he grumbled. “Come on, Andreana. This has gone on long enough. Cut me loose.”

  She moved to the end of the bed, gave him a sweet smile then grabbed the sheet and pulled, leaving his naked body bare. Her gaze heated his skin as it trailed over him, stopping at his groin. His traitorous cock jerked in reaction and her smile widened.

  Darius had no idea how he survived the embarrassment of peeing in a cup while she held his cock in her warm hand. He had every intention of wiping the memory from his mind and never thinking of it again.

  He listened to the sounds from the bathroom as she flushed the toilet. Water ran in the sink and he figured she was washing her hands. When she came back into the room, Andreana appeared exhausted. Lines of strain creased her forehead.

  “I don’t expect sympathy or understanding, but this is hard on me too.” She glanced at the bedside clock. “Thankfully, this will be over in a few more hours.”

  “And what happens then?”

  She shrugged. “I let you go. You play hero and save the kid.”

  “And you? What about you?”

  “I go find another job since I’ll lose this one when what I’ve done comes out.”

  “So I’m the hero and you’re the bad guy, end of story?”

  She wouldn’t meet his gaze or answer the question. “Tell me what you’d like to see happen.”

  “Dream scenario?” she asked.

  “Yeah. If this were a book, how would you write the ending?”